Locals call on city to buy parcel where Robinson’s childhood home once stood

A house sitting on the parcel where Jackie and Mack Robinson’s boyhood Pasadena home once stood is back on the market.

And now, some city officials say the city should buy the house to preserve Robinson’s legacy.

The home is not the house the famed athletes shared with their family after they moved to Pasadena from Cairo, Georgia in 1922 — that home was razed in the early 1970s.

Only a small plaque commemorates Robinson’s residency there.

“This is an opportunity for people of goodwill and means to come together quickly to purchase this site,” said Councilman John Kennedy. “Jackie Robinson represents the core of American values, but he always felt that the racism and classism he endured in Pasadena was un-American and destructive. So, he made it his mission to stay away from Pasadena. Today, Pasadena — including city government — has a unique opportunity to make Jackie’s boyhood property a place for all to enjoy.”

“Jackie Robinson’s childhood home stood at this site,” an ad on realtor.com reads. “This current house is a contemporary home located in Historic, Northwest Pasadena location. It has 3 beds and 2 baths, 1198 sqft living size. Open floor plan, large kitchen, A/C Energy efficient, copper plumbing, central heating and enclosed patio. The 12,245 square feet of land is great for expansion. Located on Cul-de-sac street, close to park, restaurants and stores. Minutes away from the Rose Bowl and old town Pasadena. Lots of fruits trees.”

Giant busts of the brothers are stationed across from City Hall. The bust of Mack stares directly at City Hall while Jackie’s statue gazes east toward Brooklyn where he played baseball.

Jackie Robinson lived in Pasadena from 1922 to 1946 shortly before he broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball. Robinson attended John Muir High School and Pasadena City College before transferring to UCLA.

His older brother Mack won the silver medal in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin finishing just behind Jesse Owens, helping to shatter Hitler’s Aryan superiority propaganda.